Improvement in flooring-clamps



H. CHILSUN. `Flnul'ing-Glamps.

Patented Juiy'28, 1874.

'IEW i :ign www Wit Mgg;

'. c/l f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HELIM OHILSON, OF WARE, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN FLOORING-CLAMPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 153,422, dated July 28,1874; application led June 1o, 1874.

To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known that I, HELIM CHILsoN, of Ware, of the county of Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Flooring Clamps; and do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification and represented inthe accompanying drawings, of which- Figure l denotes a top view, Fig. 2 a side elevation, and Fig. 3 a longitudinal section, of a flooring-jack embodying my invention.

The machine is for the purpose of setting up77 or pressing firmly together, edge to odge, the upper boards of a iioor, preparatory to the operation of nailing such into place.

In the drawings, A denotes the jackframe, provided with av movable rack, B, which, arrangedwithin the frame in manner shown, terminates at its outer end in a head, a. rI he said rack is furnished with a spring, C, for retracting it within the case. The case, at its heel or rear end, has a chiselshaped holder, D, arranged with it, and provided with a shoulder, I), all being as shown. Over the rack, and within and pivoted to the case, are two retaining-pawls, E F, the rearmost one of which, F, extends underneath the foremost one, E, and is furnished with a trigger, c, projected from it, as represented. ln rear of the retaining-pawls is an impellingpawl, G, which, at its lower end, rests in the rack, and at its upper end is hinged to a toggle, H, arranged within the frame A in manner as shown. At or near its rear end the toggle is pivoted to the frame A in connection with a toothed brace, I, extended therefrom, and formed as represented. A trigger, d, projects, in manner as shown, from the impelling-pawl. Over the junction of the toggle and the impelling-pawl is a lever, K, which is pivoted to the frame A, and to a pitman, L, which, at its lower part,'is pvoted or hinged to the toggle.

By moving the longer arm of the lever backward and forward through an arc of one hundred and eighty degrees, or less, the impelling-pawl will be alternately retracted and forced forward, so as to advance the rack, the retaining-pawls alternately dropping from the teeth, so as to hold the rack at the extent of its forward movement.

In using the machine or jack, it is to be placedin the first course of floor-boarding, and at right angles with the second course of floorboards to be set up, the head of the rack being against the adjacent edge of the board. The holder D is next to be driven into the first course of boarding, or to rest against a cleat nailed thereon. This having been done, the brace I should be turned down upon, and set into, the licor, its purpose being to prevent the frame from rising at its front end while the rack maybe in the act of being driven forward, or while holding the board after it may have been set up to another. Having thus prepared the jack with respect to the floor and the board to be set up, the lever is to be worked so as to cause the rack to be advanced the necessary distance.

rIhe purpose of the two triggers c and d is to enable a person,by pressing against them sim ul- 'taneously, with his linger laid between them,

to raise all the pawls out of engagement with the rack, in order that it may be forced or driven backward within the frame, which will be effected by the retractive power of the spring, which may be a belt of india rubber, or a wire bent in a helix.

I claim as my invention in the said ioor- -jack as follows, viz

l. The holder D, frame A, brace I, toggle H, link L, lever K, impelling-pawl G, one or more retaining-pawls, E F, and the rack B, 

